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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. craft — a skill
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. rash — hasty
  5. court — of law
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. court — for sport
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. craft — boats
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. mate — a friend
  15. rest — what's left
  16. mate — to breed
  17. saw — the tool
  18. rest — a break
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. rash — a series
  22. saw — the tool
  23. rest — what's left
  24. mate — a partner

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com